Samsung announces new wave of incubator businesses

(FinancialPress) C-Lab – Samsung‘s (SSNLF) business incubator hub – has announced a new wave of businesses going live on October 31. The hub has most notably been responsible for innovative products such as a Bluetooth headset that attaches to helmets, and a waistline-tracking smart belt.

Previous efforts have not found consumer success – showcasing that innovation also requires a degree of necessity. With this new wave, Samsung hopes to get closer to that.

Out of the seven selected companies, here are FinancialPress‘ standouts:

Linkface. This app makes use of the phone‘s facial feature tracking, bringing the user‘s movements to a VR avatar in real time. The user will also be able give the app other fun uses, such as “manning“ an emoji with their own facial expressions – which resembles Apple‘s Animoji.

Defind. Meant as a “smart shoe fitting service“, Defind will create a 3D scan of your feet as to know which is your perfect shoe size.

PixelRo. PixelRo takes extra points for altruism – it is designed so that sufferers of presbyopia (which is an eye disease that affects mostly people of age) can get a smartphone-based solution. It works by pairing the app with a screen add-on, letting users see clearly without the need of regular glasses.

Rounding out the list we have BlueFeel, a portable air purifier for people who find cloth masks uncomfortable; Hiperity, an app that allows users to control their smartphones and computers through virtual screens; 1Drop, a blood glucose measuring app that operates through the phone‘s LED light and camera; and SoftLaunch – a recommendation service that fills its feed using the user‘s social media.

Since 2012, and including the ones announced today, C-Lab has spawned 32 start-ups since its inception back in 2012 – delving into virtual reality, augmented reality, healthcare and the Internet of Things. The lack of success among consumers of the previous projects has not shaken Samsung‘s faith in the project hub.

Jalil Lee, head of the Creativity & Innovation Center at Samsung Electronics, stated: “Based on our valuable past experience, we are planning to build up a more profound and actionable program to nurture employees’ ideas and launch new startups.“